Health security

Amid opioid epidemic, report finds more doctors stealing prescriptions

A new report that will be released Tuesday by data firm Protenus finds that this so-called "opioid diversion" is a growing problem. In 2018, more than 47 million doses of legally prescribed opioids were stolen, an increase of 126 percent from the year before.

Protenus found 34 percent of these incidents happened at hospitals or medical centers, followed by private practices, long-term care facilities and pharmacies. Only 77 percent of the cases identified a particular drug, but the most common was Oxycodone, followed by hydrocodone and fentanyl.

Sixty-seven percent of the time, doctors and nurses are responsible. Dr. Stephen Loyd of Tennessee was one of them.

"What I didn't realize was how quickly it would escalate. Going from that half of a five milligram Lortab, to within three years about 500 milligrams of Oxycontin a day. That's about 100 Vicodin," he said.